Louis Dell'Olio is acknowledged as one of the leading American
women's sportswear designers, creating wearable and commercial
pieces that feature the classic lines typical of sportswear yet manage
innovative twists to set them apart. Dell'Olio has achieved the
rare distinction of being loved by critics and consumers alike.

Dell'Olio made his name first as codesigner (with Donna Karan)
and then as lead designer at Anne Klein, the label launched by the
legendary American sportswear designer. After Klein's death in
1974, Karan, who had been her assistant, asked longtime friend
Dell'Olio—who had attended Parsons School of Design with
her—to become her codesigner at Klein. The partners were just a
few years out of Parsons when they took over the firm. Their first
collections were not highly regarded; they designed initially by trying
to emulate what they imagined Klein would do.

After a few years, the two designers broke away from traditional Klein
wares and began to come into their own, designing a series of critically
acclaimed collections. Consumers embraced the brand, and sales grew
robustly. When Karan left in 1986 to launch her own label,
Dell'Olio took over as the sole designer for Anne Klein. Although
retailers and the fashion press wondered if the quiet designer would be
able to maintain the company's high reputation and sales, their
fears were put to rest after the first few collections. Critics
proclaimed Dell'Olio's work became stronger over time, and
customers must
have agreed, because he ultimately took his place as the bestselling
American designer. Anne Klein under Dell'Olio grew to a
$200-million wholesale brand in sportswear alone, enhanced by another
$250 million in sales of licensed products.

As the president of Bergdorf Goodman told the
New York Times
(15 November 1988), "[Dell'Olio] understands the needs of
women in all walks of life. He makes clothes that are fashionably up to
date but that a woman can feel she will be able to wear the next year.
And his business is growing." Retailers have always appreciated
Dell'Olio's penchant for listening to their needs. His
interest extends to the business side of fashion as much as to the
creative side.

Bernardine Morris, writing in the
New York Times
(6 November 1992), noted Dell'Olio's ability to create
familiar and comfortable apparel, yet at the same time use innovative
designs. "Serene and comforting as the show was to watch,"
she said of his spring 1993 collection (one of his last for Anne Klein),
"the clothes still looked different from what women already have
in their wardrobes. But they didn't look fussy or overdesigned.
Just soft, basic shapes that could be combined in different ways, the
basic premise of sportswear dressing."

Dell'Olio's designs are purposely American in sensibility;
he is known for taking European designs and Americanizing them. Many of
his collections have a certain masculine quality—such as boxy
shoulders on his blazers, always a core item in his sportswear
lines— and he has favored apparel that is flattering and make
women feel sexy yet fully dressed. These clothes are targeted at upscale
working women, with celebrities ranging from Oprah Winfrey to Cher (in
her more serious moments). In addition to blazers, other core items
include narrow pants, turtleneck sweaters, and wraparound skirts in
black, ivory, and neutrals, set off by the occasional burst of color
(such as an all-red series that stood out in one of his collections).

Dell'Olio left Anne Klein in 1993 to pursue his own collections,
replaced by Richard Tyler, who the company hoped would take the brand
into younger, more exciting directions. Dell'Olio had, some
criticized, started to have an element of sameness in his clothes each
season. Retailers were taken by surprise at the transition, which both
Anne Klein executives and Dell'Olio stressed was his decision.
Unfortunately for Klein, the departure of Dell'Olio marked a
downward slide for the retailer, and Tyler was soon ousted.
Dell'Olio, however, began to forge alliances with a range of
companies through consulting and licensing agreements. He became a
consultant for Italian sportswear manufacturer Marzotto, helping it hone
its bridge line, Accento, especially for the U.S. market. He launched a
collection called Dei Tre exclusively for Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman
Marcus, and the Canadian chain Holt Renfrew, which he designed with the
input of the retailers.

Dell'Olio also started to expand into categories outside
sportswear. He created a licensed line of outerwear for the Tepper
Collection (the contract transferred to Androu when Tepper shut down),
in which he took sportswear looks and translated them into
moderate-priced stadium jackets, bathrobe coats, and other items under
the Louis Dell'Olio Luxe and LDO Studio labels. He also expanded
into furs and shearlings with Legar. In 2000, Dell'Olio began an
alliance with the television shopping network QVC for an exclusive line
of moderate separates and dresses under the Linea by Louis
Dell'Olio label. The partners planned four collections a year,
with Dell'Olio appearing on QVC to help promote the line.

All of Dell'Olio's new ventures remained true to his
desire to create wearable, consumer-friendly women's clothes,
although they tended to show more of a focus on color than his previous
work. His reputation for quality craftsmanship and good fit, built
during his 18 years at Anne Klein, remains strong.

—KarenRaugust

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